Express Entry candidates automatically enter the Express Entry pool once they appear to meet the Minimum Entry Criteria (MEC). Once in the pool, they remain eligible for receiving Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for the programs whose requirements they appear to meet.

The Invitation to Apply (ITA) is an auto-generated letter. Express Entry candidates usually receive this in their MyCIC account. Candidates, who rank the highest in a round of invitations (based on their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score) typically receive the Invitations to Apply (ITAs).

Express Entry candidates having a validated Provinces and territories (PTs) nomination or a qualifying offer of arranged employment will receive an additional 600 points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). They will also receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) at the next eligible round of invitations. However, this activity would take place subject to:

The overall nomination space of that particular Province and territory (PT) and,

The system automatically invites candidates based on a specific program order when:

There is a general round of invitations and,

A candidate seems eligible for multiple programs i.e.

The program order followed by the system for inviting candidates automatically follows:

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and,

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

What Does the Invitation to Apply (ITA) Include?

The Invitation to Apply (ITA) invites candidates to apply for one of the following specific programs:

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or,

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

It is worth noting that a candidate would not be able to apply for a program other than the one specified in their Invitation to Apply (ITA). This is applicable even when the candidates appears to be eligible for multiple programs

The Invitation to Apply (ITA) includes the chart given below. This chart highlights how the system calculated the candidate’s points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), at the time of the round of invitations.

Express Entry criteria

Your answers

CRS – Human Capital – Age

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CRS – Human Capital – Level of Education

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CRS – Human Capital – First Official Language Proficiency

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CRS – Human Capital – Second Official Language Proficiency

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CRS – Human Capital – Canadian Work Experience

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CRS – Spouse – Level of Education

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CRS – Spouse – First Official Language Proficiency

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CRS – Spouse – Canadian Work Experience

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CRS – Skill Transferability – Education

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CRS – Skill Transferability – Foreign Work Experience

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CRS – Skill Transferability – Certificate of Qualification

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CRS – Arranged Employment

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CRS – Provincial/Territorial Nomination

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Your overall points score

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What is the Deadline for Responding to an Invitation to Apply (ITA)?

Once candidates receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA), they have 60 calendar days for doing any one of the following:

Submitting a complete Application for Permanent Residence (APR) in their MyCIC account

They would also need to provide all supporting document upfront

Declining the Invitation to Apply (ITA) in their MyCIC account

Candidates would take this step if:

They are not ready to apply within 60 days or,

They believe that a change in their circumstances has rendered them ineligible for accepting the invitation

In this scenario, the candidate’s profile will continue to remain active in the pool for the remaining days of the validity of the profile

In addition, as long as the candidate continues to meet the Minimum Eligibility Criteria (MEC), the candidate will continue to remain in consideration for future rounds of invitations

Not responding to the Invitation to Apply (ITA)

The Invitation to Apply (ITA) will expire and the candidate’s profile will no longer remain in the Express Entry pool if:

The candidate does not submit a complete Application for Permanent Residence (APR) within 60 days or,

The candidate does not formally decline the Invitation to Apply (ITA) within 60 days

In this situation, the candidate would need to submit a new profile in the MyCIC account and receive an assessment for the Minimum Eligibility Criteria (MEC) at that time for entering the pool once more

Note:

The candidate bears the responsibility for checking the MyCIC account regularly

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) does not provide any extensions to the 60-calendar-day deadline for submitting complete Applications for Permanent Residence (APRs)

This is particularly valid in situations where the candidates specify the following reasons:

Claim that they did not check their MyCIC accounts or,

Claim that they did not read their Invitation to Apply (ITA) letters

What Happens When a Candidate’s Situation Changes After the Invitation to Apply (ITA)?

Candidates bear the responsibility for ensuring that their Express Entry profile is accurate and updated at all times.

When Provinces and territories (PTs) issue Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates, the candidates’ profiles become locked. Thus, no one can amend the information in these profiles barring specific circumstances. Candidates would only be able to revise their profile information once they formally decline the Invitation to Apply (ITA) via their MyCIC account.

When candidates decline an Invitation to Apply (ITA), they automatically return to the pool. Thereafter, they will be able to update their profile information, even as they wait for a new Invitation to Apply (ITA).

After receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA), candidates could realise that:

Their circumstances have changed or,

The information in their profile (which formed the basis on which they received the Invitation to Apply (ITA)) is no longer accurate

In this scenario, the candidates would need to recalculate their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. For this, they would need to use the Express Entry calculator given on the website of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Given below are some examples that highlight how changes in a candidate’s circumstances could alter a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

In some situations, the candidates might proceed with submitting Applications for Permanent Residence (APRs) even when there are changes in circumstances. In this scenario, the candidates would need to ensure that the Applications for Permanent Residence (APRs) properly reflect the changes in their circumstances. For example, the candidates would need to amend the information that the system automatically transferred from their profiles to their Applications for Permanent Residence (APRs). Only after doing this should they consider submitting their applications.

Similarly, situations could arise where candidates find that changes in their circumstances negatively affect their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. As a result, they find that:

They no longer meet the Minimum Eligibility Criteria (MEC) of the federal immigration program to which they received Invitations to Apply (ITAs) or,

Their recalculated Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores fall below the lowest ranked candidate in their round of invitations

In this scenario, these individuals would need to decline their Invitations to Apply (ITAs). This is in accordance with the Express Entry Ministerial Instructions.

The authorities could potentially refuse the applications if the candidates:

Eventually submit an Application for Permanent Residence (APR) and,

Cannot substantiate the information listed in their Express Entry profile or their Application for Permanent Residence (APR), based on which they received Invitations to Apply (ITAs)

Moreover, if the authorities find that the applicants have misrepresented the information in their Express Entry profile or their Application for Permanent Residence (APR), the authorities could penalise the applicants further. Similarly, processing offices carry the responsibility for assessing Express Entry applications on A11.2 and misrepresentation. In addition, the authorities will not refund cost recovery fees in this scenario.

Examples of change in circumstances that could affect a candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores

Changes that Could Increase a Candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Scores

Graduating from a higher level of schooling

Improved language test scores

Changes that Could Decrease a Candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Scores

New language scores at a lower level (in the event that the original scores expire and the candidate retakes the test and delivers lower results)

Loss of a qualifying offer of arranged employment

Changes that Could Increase or Decrease a Candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Scores

Addition of a spouse or a common-law partner as an applicant’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score might increase or decrease based on the spouse or common-law partner’s own human capital

Changes for Which the Authorities Do Not Penalise Candidates for Losing Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Points Post Invitation to Apply (ITA)

The candidate has a birthday after the Invitation to Apply (ITA)

[Refer to Exemption to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) 11.2: Candidates who have a birthday after Invitation to Apply (ITA)]